Things that make us feel like child millionaire Richie Rich, as played by Macaulay Culkin in the 1994 film of the same name: eating fast food off a silver tray and remotely opening garage doors. We are simple people. Luckily, Michael from Core Electronics shares our fondness for the bougie things in life, and also understands that shop-bought garage door remotes are expensive. So he set about building his own using Raspberry Pi Pico W.
Simple but effective
We love this build for its simplicity. Raspberry Pi Pico W hosts a simple webpage on Michael’s local network, which he access from his mobile phone. The remote control itself features just three control buttons: one to make the garage door go up, one to make it go down, and one to stop it moving at any point. Nothing more, nothing less.
Everyone hates over-filled keychains
The best part about this creation being controllable via mobile phone is that you don’t need a bulky garage door remote on your keychain. You’ve already got your car key (hence the garage), your front door key, back door key, gym locker key, barcode thing you scan at the supermarket to collect points that never really get you anything. You get the picture. Also, have you ever tried to find a replacement battery for an old-fashioned garage door remote control? Skip the hassle and keep your keychain slimline with Michael’s Pico W-based solution.
How is it made?
As Michael explains in his project write-up: “The circuit is essentially a Pico W powered by a DC-DC converter. Three open-drain outputs interface with the door-motor inputs.” Follow the instructions in that write-up to find out how to assemble all the components and to grab the Python code you’ll need. Then gather the hardware listed below and get started building your own garage door opener.
Hardware:
Core Electronics is one of our trusted Approved Resellers. They’re one of the keepers of Raspberry Pi goodies in Australia. Visit their nice online shop.
